The Buffalo Bills, one of the favorites to reach the Super Bowl this season, have released punter Matt Araiza, after a civil lawsuit was filed against him dating back to an alleged incident in 2021 in which four men, including Araiza, are accused of raping an underage, 17-year old girl in his home.
Araiza denied the allegation in a statement, saying ” “The facts of the incident are not what they are portrayed in the lawsuit or in the press. I look forward to quickly setting the record straight.”
But after waiting a few weeks to release their star punter, the Bills decided to cut their ties to Araiza, with Bills GM Brandon Beane stating, “This is bigger than football. ..With the serious nature and allegations, and we just can’t, we don’t have the means to put all the facts together..There’s multiple versions of what happened….and there’s a lot of things that we have not pieced together even today. We’re just trying to do the best we could and be thoughtful and not rush to judgment.”
The Bills also issued a statement on Aug. 25 that they have conducted a thorough examination of this matter.
The Civil suit filed against Araiza and the other men are graphic in some detail. The other two men named are former football players for San Diego State University, Zavier Leonard and Nowlin Ewaliko
Araiza’s attorney, Kerry Armstrong called the allegations, “just untrue.” “I am sure he is very upset and disappointed that his career with the Bills ended not because he played poorly, but because of false allegations leveled against him by a young lady and her attorney. I hope he is back in the NFL soon.”
The victim’s attorney, Dan Gilleon, informed the Bills of the incident last month (July 2022), but the Bills didn’t take action until the civil suit was filed. “The Buffalo Bills had no choice but to cut their young punter after so badly botching their response to our claim,” Gilleon said in a statement. “They ignored us, as though what I warned them would happen could be avoided if they just kept their heads in the sand. This is what enablers do.”
Two stories were published in the LA Times in June https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-06-03/sdsu-san-diego-state-football-players-claim-rape-girl and July https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-07-29/teenager-recounts-alleged-rape-by-san-diego-state-football-players
